The Forces of Love
by LadyGold42
Summary: Obi-Wan and Lena have been best friends since they were young. Will their friendship ever turn to love?
1. Introduction

Introduction

Young Lena Orim followed the man with long hair up the staircase to a place that would become her new home. Her old home had been destroyed by the droid armies and she was one of the only survivors. When her rescuers had shown up, she had been so scared and everything they had told her was so hard to believe. The man with the long hair, he said his name was Qui-gon Jinn, had told her that she had some special powers and that she would be trained to become something called a jedi. Lena had no idea what a jedi was or why she had to become one, but she knew that her home was gone and she needed a new one. She quietly followed Qui-gon through the jedi temple, keeping close to him as they walked along. "No need to be frightened little one," Qui-gon said smiling down at Lena. Lena looked up at him. "I don't really understand what I am doing here. I have never seen these special powers you say I have. What is a jedi? Why am I here? What do I have to do?" Qui-gon chuckled softly. "So many questions. I'm sure all of them will answered in time." Lena wasn't satisfied with this answer but decided she would deal with it for now. A young boy came running towards them from a room along the hallway they were walking down yelling, "Master Qui-gon! You're back!" Qui-gon kneeled before the boy and the boy bowed slightly to him. "Yes, young Obi-wan, I have returned. I have brought someone back with me that may be a good friend for you. Lena come say hello." Lena stepped out from behind Qui-gon and shyly waved at Obi-wan. Obi-wan smiled at her and offered his hand for her to shake. "Hi, my name is Obi-wan Kenobi. I am a padawan here and Qui-gon is my master and trainer." Lena shook the offered hand and smiled back. "My name is Lena Orim. I'm new here and I hope that we can be friends." Qui-gon smiled at the two younglings before him and he could see that they would get along great.


	2. Many Years Later

**A/N: Hi guys! This is one of my first fanfiction stories so I would really appreciate some feedback and any ideas you may have! Please review! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of the characters except for Lena.**

Chapter 1: Many Years Later

Lena lay on her bed in her quarters staring at the ceiling. She was always the one left behind. Qui-gon always took Ob-wan instead of her when he went on missions. She wasn't sure what she was more upset about, the fact that Obi-wan got to go or that the missions took him away from her. Lena missed her best friend when he went on missions without her, but she also worried about him when he was gone. She never knew if she would see him or Qui-gon again every time they left to go somewhere dangerous. Lena sighed as she twirled the end of her long braid around her finger. Laying around feeling sorry for herself wouldn't get anything done, so she got up and headed to the dining hall of the Jedi temple. As she walked through the hallway, she overheard the voices of Masters Windu and Yoda. Lena stopped to listen to their conversation, and then she wished that she hadn't. "Qui-gon hasn't made contact since they left, I fear that something bad has happened to them," Windu said quietly to Yoda. "Make contact they will when the chance they have," Yoda replied, "worry we should not." Lena decided she didn't like the sound of their conversation so she moved along. She bit at her bottom lip as she sat at the table looking down at her lunch. Other than Obi-wan, she didn't really have any friends at the temple. She was too shy and spent every moment of her time with Obi-wan or Qui-gon. She looked over at the table next to her where a group of girls sat whispering and glancing at her. Lena knew what they were saying; they were talking about her and Obi-wan. Recently she had heard a rumor about them. One that said she was in love with him and was too dumb to take a hint that he didn't feel the same. Lena knew in her heart that the first part of the rumor was true. She and Obi-wan had been friends since Qui-gon brought her to the temple when she was very young. They had been almost inseparable their whole lives. Now that they were getting older, Lena could sense her feelings for him growing into something more than friendship. She had felt that way for quite some time now and she had thought she had been doing a good job of hiding it. She knew that Jedi were supposed to suppress those type of feelings. Love and family life was not the path of a Jedi. Lena knew that was how Obi-wan felt and she didn't want to destroy their friendship by bringing feelings that could not be pursued into the light. Lena decided she wasn't hungry anymore and left the dining hall to go do some research in the library to get her mind off of Obi-wan and her worries for her best friend and master.

Obi-wan sat on the ship they had taken from Naboo as he waited for Qui-gon to return from exploring the planet they had gone to called Tatooine. He fiddled with the threads on his armrest in boredom. He wished that Lena could be here so he would have someone interesting to talk to. He knew that there were more important things in the universe then his entertainment, but he wished that she was there to entertain him just the same. Obi-wan knew that Lena wanted to come on missions with him and Qui-gon but she never was able to. He wondered why she couldn't but at the same time was glad that she couldn't. If something were to happen to her when she was on a mission, Obi-wan wouldn't know what to do with himself. Granted the possibility of injury or death came with being a Jedi, but he didn't want anything to happen to her. He cared a great deal about Lena, and his care came with some emotions he didn't quite understand. He treasured their friendship a great deal and was always happy when he was around her. But recently whenever Lena would laugh or touch his hand or arm, he would feel shivers run down his spine. Her smile would instantly make him smile and he couldn't imagine his life without her in it. Obi-wan knew how the Jedi were supposed to live their lives. They were supposed to concentrate on their training and stay away from love. He had always heard that love lead to jealousy and jealously led to the dark side. He wasn't sure what his feelings for Lena were, but he knew they were stronger then friendship. He hoped that one day he would be able to tell her what he felt and that they would be able to work things out and figure out what to do about the feelings together. He could tell that Lena had similar feelings by the way that she looked at him sometimes and he knew that these feelings needed to be talked about. Obi-wan was ripped out of his thoughts by the sound of Qui-gon's voice coming from the speaker on the dash. "Obi-wan, there is something interesting here that we need to address. We may need to stay a bit longer than expected." Obi-wan sighed and responded, "I will let the queen know." He wanted to get to Corusant as soon as possible so he could see Lena. Those plans would just have to wait.


	3. Choices

**A/N: Hey guys. Sorry that it's been so long since I updated this story. My computer crashed so I have been unable to do anything. I will try to update at least once a week. I'm not making any promises though. Real life likes to get in the way. Please review! **

Chapter 2- Choices

Lena sat in the library at the Jedi temple doing what some people would consider moping. It had been so long since she had seen Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon. She was starting to worry about them. She had heard from Master Windu that they had problems with their ship and were stranded until it could be fixed. He had reassured her that they were relatively safe where they were but he wouldn't tell her where. She had no idea where they were or when they were coming back. She had come to the library to get her mind off of her worry but nothing could distract her. She usually didn't worry this much when they were gone, but recently something had changed. Lena had given it a bit of thought and had come up with the idea that it probably had to do with admitting her feelings for Obi-Wan to herself. Now that she was sure how she felt, it only caused her to worry more about his well-being. Jocasta Nu came over to the table she was sitting at for the third time since she had arrived and asked if there was anything she could help her with. Lena pulled out her worried state for a second to shake her head at the librarian before lapsing back into it. "Just call me if you need anything dear," she said and walked away. Lena sat there for another ten minutes before she decided that sitting around doing nothing wouldn't make her master and best friend arrive any faster. Crossing her arms over her chest she walked out of the library back towards her quarters, nearly bumping into Master Windu in the process. "I'm sorry Master, I didn't see you there." Windu gave her a small smile and replied, "It's alright. I was actually coming to look for you. I have heard from Master Qui-Gon and they are making their way back to Coruscant as we speak." Lena nearly jumped for joy at his words but managed to contain herself. Qui-Gon had told her to get a better handle on her emotions, as the members of the counsel had expressed concern to him about her lack of control. She expressed her contained excitement and simply bowed with a smile on her face. "Thank you for letting me know Master Windu." He nodded in return before walking away. Lena smiled as brightly as she could the whole way back to her quarters. She would get to see them soon!

Obi-Wan paced along the hallway on Queen Amidala's ship. He was anxious to get back to Coruscant and see Lena again. His pacing was halted when the queen's handmaiden Padme walked around the corner. "What are you so anxious about?" Obi-Wan fiddled with his braid and looked at the floor. "I am just anxious to get back. There's something that I need to do on Coruscant." Padme carefully inspected Obi-Wan's face. "I know that look. There's someone you are waiting to see isn't there? A girl?" Obi-Wan's face flushed slightly. "I don't know how you came to that conclusion." Padme chuckled softly, "I can see it on your face clear as day. You love someone and you haven't told her yet." "Jedi do not fall in love. They do not get attached," Obi-Wan snapped back. Padme shook her head and gently touched Obi-Wan's shoulder. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone." Obi-Wan finally looked up and sighed, "Alright there is someone…" Padme smiled. "I knew it! What's her name?" "Her name is Lena. She is also Qui-Gon's padawan and we have been best friends since we were very young. I didn't know that I had feelings for her until just recently. You would think that at my age I would be better at noticing these things." Padme chuckled again. "We all notice things at different times and levels, don't worry. Does she return your feelings?" "I'm not sure. I feel like she does, but she hasn't said anything to me about it." "I'm sure everything will turn out right," Padme offered encouragingly. "I hope so." A door behind Obi-Wan opened and Qui-Gon walked up to the pair. "We are just reaching Coruscant now." Padme bowed slightly before walking off to join her mistress. Qui-Gon looked over Obi-Wan's face thoughtfully and stroked his beard. "What were you two talking about?" Obi-Wan flushed again. "Nothing important, master." Qui-Gon wasn't convinced but decided to let it go. "Let's prepare to leave. I will go fetch Anakin." He walked off leaving Obi-Wan alone again. Obi-Wan sighed in relief. That was really close. Qui-Gon had almost heard his and Padme's conversation about Lena. He was sure that if his master knew, he would discourage it and try to keep them apart. He sighed again before walking to the exit bay to join the others.

After Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon had done their part at the Senate building, they made their way to the Jedi temple along with young Anakin. Qui-Gon could sense his padawan's anxiousness, and wondered what could be causing it. As soon as the three of them entered the temple, they heard a very loud and excited female voice call out. They turned to see a beaming Lena quickly making her way over to them. As soon as she reached them, Lena threw her arms around Obi-Wan's neck. "You're back!" Obi-Wan was shocked by the hug but gladly returned the embrace. Qui-Gon looked upon the scene with a new understanding of his padawan's anxiousness. The look of pure joy on both Lena and Obi-Wan's faces cleared it up for him. There was more than friendship brewing between the two of them, and he had to do something about it before it got too far. He cleared his throat and they broke apart. Lena bowed to Qui-Gon. "Master. Welcome back." Just then she noticed the young blonde boy standing next to Qui-Gon. Lena loved young children so she enjoyed interacting with younglings and padawans. She bent down to his level and offered her hand for him to shake. "And who might you be?" "I'm Anakin Skywalker. Master Qui-Gon brought me here to train as a Jedi!" Lena smiled at the young boy. "It's nice to meet you Anakin. I wish you luck." She straightened back up and smiled at Qui-Gon. "You just find future Jedi all over the place, don't you master?" she joked. She was surprised by the serious look on her master's face and didn't understand what was behind it. "Quite. Obi-Wan, will you please take Anakin up to the council chamber area? I will join you soon; I just wish to talk to Lena first." Obi-Wan nodded. "Certainly master. Come along Anakin." Obi-Wan guided Anakin in the correct direction and smiled at Lena before following him down the hall. Lena turned to her master and waited for him to say whatever he wanted to say to her. "Not here. This discussion needs to be private." Qui-Gon guided Lena into a side room where they could talk privately. "What is it master? Have I done something wrong?" Qui-Gon didn't look at Lena's face, but past her. He didn't want to hurt his padawan's but something needed to be done. "Not yet, but I fear if I don't say something to you, you will." Lena's heart sank. She should have known that Qui-Gon would notice her feelings for Obi-Wan. "You are aware that Jedi are not supposed to become attached and to fall in love. I see that you and Obi-Wan are developing feelings other than friendship, and I would rather say something now rather than once it is too late. You must learn to control how you feel and not let it consume you Lena." Lena's eyes moved to the ground when Qui-Gon finally looked at her face. "Yes master, I understand." Qui-Gon put his hand on Lena's shoulder. "I suggest that you spend some time away from each other and that you make it seem like you don't have feelings for him. I know that will be hard but it will be better for the two of you in the end, I promise." Lena could feel the tears pricking in her eyes and continued to look at the floor so Qui-Gon wouldn't see. Qui-Gon placed his finger under her chin and lifted her head. "Lena, please look at me. I don't mean to upset you." Lena turned her face away from her master and before she could stop herself, fled the room with tears running down her face. "Lena! Come back!" Qui-Gon called after her, but she ran all the way to her quarters in tears. She should have known this would happen. As she cried her heart out, Lena decided that she would do as Qui-Gon said and make Obi-Wan think that she wasn't interested in anything more than friendship. It would be hard, but she could do it, if not for herself, but for her best friend.

Obi-Wan could tell that something besides the council's refusal was bothering Qui-Gon. As he made his way along the hallway, he thought about what could be bothering his master but couldn't think of anything. He finally reached Lena's quarters and knocked on the door. "Lena? Are you there?" The door slide open and Obi-Wan smiled, but his smile was wiped from his face when he saw Lena's tear stained cheeks and red eyes. He reached out to touch her arm. "Lele, what's wrong?" Lena shrunk back from his touch. "Nothing." Obi-Wan looked at her with a worried expression. "I have something that I want to talk to you about. May I come in?" Lena knew what was coming and she had no way to stop it so she nodded and let him in, shutting the door behind him. She sat down on her bed and kept her eyes focused downward. Obi-Wan sat down beside her and took her hand in his. "Lena, I have recently noticed something. My feelings for you have started to develop into something stronger than our friendship and I now understand them. I can tell from your actions that you have similar feelings, and I know that as Jedi we aren't supposed to have relationships but I feel that maybe we could have something." Lena could feel the tears coming again. "I'm so sorry Obi-Wan, but I don't think that would be a good idea." Obi-Wan was shocked by her response. "Lena, what are you saying?" Lena finally looked up with her tear filled eyes. "I'm saying that no matter how much I know that I love you, I don't wish to jeopardize your future. We can't have a relationship, I'm sorry." Lena pulled her hand away and stood. Obi-Wan felt as if his heart had been squeezed until it was barely beating. He stood and faced Lena, placing his hand on her soaked cheek. "Lena…please…," he choked out through his own tears. "Please go," Lena said softly before turning away again. Obi-Wan sadly turned around and walked to the door. "I love you Lena, I always will." He opened the door and walked out, letting it close behind him. He sunk to the floor and he could hear Lena's sobs through the door. Right then, Obi-Wan wished he was not a Jedi and that he could stop his best friend's and his own pain. Around the corner, Qui-Gon leaned against the wall and sighed with sadness. He felt great guilt for the pain he had just caused to the two people that meant the most to him. He kept telling himself it was the right thing, and he was going to stick to that.


	4. Love and Loss

**A/N: Hello all! I am so sorry that it has been so long since I posted. I kind of forgot about the story and was distracted by real life. I'm sorry about the last one's sad ending. Things will get better, I promise! Please review! **

Chapter 3- Love and Loss

Lena had spent the past week in her room alone. She barely ate and barely slept, and when she did it was because she cried herself to sleep. Both Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon had tried to get her to come out of her room and talk to them, but they eventually gave up and left her alone. Lena had never felt so horrible in her life. All she wanted was her best friend back and she feared that they would never regain the friendship they had before.

"How could I be so stupid?" Lena asked herself while staring at the ceiling. "I should have known that nothing could come of my feelings for Obi-Wan. I should have just ignored them and left them in the dust. Then, none of this would have ever happened."

Lena heard a knock on her door, which she suspected was either Obi-Wan or Qui-Gon again. She couldn't lock herself up in her room forever. She got up and opened the door, revealing a very worried but relieved looking Obi-Wan.

"Are you going to talk to me now? I miss you Lele, but I will miss you even more now. Qui-Gon and I are heading back to Naboo. The queen wants to return to help her people."

Lena looked sadly into Obi-Wan's face. "I want to come with. I'm tired of being stuck here at the temple while the two of you are always out and about."

"Lena…I don't think…"

A voice from behind Obi-Wan said, "I think her coming along is a great idea."

Obi-Wan turned and saw Qui-gon standing behind him. "Are you sure master?"

Qui-Gon moved forward and patted Lena's shoulder, slightly smiling. "I'm very sure. It's time the galaxy gets to see a very talented young lady at work."

Lena looked up at Qui-Gon in surprise. "Thank you, master. I have been waiting for a long time to go on a mission with you." Turning to Obi-Wan she said, "It's my turn now."

Qui-Gon nodded slightly before walking away down the hall. "I will see both of you tomorrow morning."

Lena turned to shut her door. "Good night Obi-Wan. I will see you tomorrow." Before she could shut the door, Obi-Wan grabbed her wrist gently.

"Wait! There are some things I want to talk about."

"What do you want to talk about? Your lack of faith in my skills that makes you think I am unworthy of going on missions with you? That you regret having feelings for me? What?"

"Lena, I would never regret that! I meant what I said when I said I will always love you. And I do not doubt your abilities at all. In fact, I have more faith in you than anyone else. I just want you to not go because I want to protect you. I love you."

"I don't need protecting! I am not a damsel in distress Obi-Wan! I can handle myself. You shouldn't love me; it's not good for your future…"

Lena's sentence was cut off by a pair of soft lips meeting her own. She had never thought that this day would come. She was being kissed. By Obi-Wan Kenobi! The kiss only lasted a few seconds but to Lena it felt like longer. When Obi-Wan pulled away, his face was red with embarrassment.

"I'm sorry. I don't know why I did that…"

"It's perfectly fine, it's just what I needed." Lena said smiling brightly. "I might as well admit it, I am madly in love with you Obi-Wan Kenobi."

Obi-Wan was shocked by her statement. "I wish that things could work out between us. I don't know what I would do without you."

"Maybe you will never have to find out. I say we give this a try. I will see you tomorrow." At that, Lena closed her door, leaving a happier man on the other side. Obi-Wan smiled as he walked down the hall towards his quarters.

As she prepared for the next day, Lena wondered if she made the right choice in accepting Obi-Wan's affections. What if Qui-Gon was right and their relationship ended in disaster? As she lay in her bed waiting for sleep to take her, she thought about Obi-Wan and what her life would be like without him. Ever since she was very young, she could never picture her life without him. She just hoped she would never have to live a life where he wasn't there.

The next morning, Lena woke up and got ready to leave for Naboo. As she was braiding her hair, she heard a knock on her door.

"Just a minute!" she called out finishing her braid. She opened her door to see Obi-Wan standing outside it.

"Good morning Lena."

"Good morning Obi-Wan. You know I had a dream about you last night."

"Really? What about?"

"I had a dream that after Qui-Gon said I could go on the mission, you and I had an argument and then you kissed me."

Obi-Wan smirked at her, leaned in and softly kissed her. "It wasn't a dream silly. It really happened."

Lena was slightly shocked but happy. "I was hoping that was so. I was praying that I didn't simply dream it up." Lena stood on her toes and pecked Obi-Wan on the cheek. "When are we leaving?"

"In about an hour. I came to see if you were ready. Qui-Gon wants us to meet him at the Senate building in 15 minutes."

Lena picked up her light saber off her bed and attached it to her utility belt and grabbed her cloak. "I'm ready."

Obi-Wan smiled and tugged gently on her padawan braid. "Let's go then." Offering his arm, which she took, they walked down the hall towards the launch platform. When they arrived at the Senate building, Qui-Gon was waiting for them on the landing platform.

"You two ready to go? The queen has decided to leave earlier than expected so we are leaving in ten minutes."

"Good thing we got here early then," Obi-Wan replied as he followed Qui-Gon onto Amidala's silver ship, pulling Lena behind him. On the ship, Lena sat next to Obi-Wan on a bench.

He leaned in to whisper in her ear. "I'm sorry if I am being too forward with our relationship. If you feel uncomfortable at all please tell me. I shouldn't have kissed you without your permission."

Lena swatted Obi-Wan in the shoulder. "Don't be ridiculous! I'm not uncomfortable at all." She grabbed his hand in her own and leaned her head on his shoulder. "I have been waiting too long for this to not enjoy it."

Just then, a door opened, and the pair jumped apart and pretended to be interested in something other than each other. Padme came through the door and walked over to the bench.

"There you are Obi-Wan! I was wondering where you ran off to." On seeing Lena, Padme paused. "Oh. Who is this?"

"I'm Lena Orim. Who are you?"

"My name is Padme. I am one of Queen Amidala's handmaidens. It's nice to finally meet you. This is the girl you were talking about, right Obi-Wan?"

Obi-Wan nodded in response. "Yes, this is that same one."

"Judging by what I saw when I walked in, I take it you told her how you feel?"

Lena and Obi-Wan shared a look of guilt between them. "You saw us?" Lena asked nervously.

Padme laughed softly. "Don't worry about it. I won't tell anyone. Obi-Wan already told me about the situation. Your secret is safe with me."

Lena sighed in relief. She was worried that they had been exposed already when they had just started their relationship together. She smiled at Padme gratefully.

"Thank you Padme. You are a good friend."

When they reached the planet's surface and all the plans had been made, Lena was both scared for her life and excited for the adventure. She followed the group through the hangar bay, ready for anything. At least that's what she thought. The group came to a sudden halt when the doors opened, revealing a man dressed in black. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan activated their lightsabers while everyone else ran in a different direction. Confused on who to follow, Lena activated her light saber and took a fighting stance.

"Lena, go with the others! Obi-Wan and I can handle this!" Qui-Gon ordered.

Lena grunted in frustration and ran after the others, but stopped and turned around halfway down the hall. She wasn't going to be apart from them again! She ran back in the direction she came, following the noises of light sabers clashing together. She reached a door to a large room and was stopped by the sight of Obi-Wan falling from a considerable height.

"No! Obi-Wan!" Lena screamed before she could stop herself.

The man Qui-Gon continued to fight turned his head towards her and raised his hand to use the force, but Qui-Gon beat him to it, using the force to send Lena flying back through the door. Lena hit her head on the floor when she landed, knocking her unconscious.

When she finally came to, Lena was alone. She quickly sprang to her feet and ran in the direction she saw Qui-Gon and the man going. Soon she was stopped by a wall of red light. In front of her she could see Obi-Wan trapped between similar walls of red, and further in front of him, she could see Qui-Gon kneeling on the ground. She looked a little further and saw the man in front of Qui-Gon, separated from him by another red wall. Suddenly the wall between them vanished and they began fighting again. The wall in front of Obi-Wan disappeared also and he ran forwards towards the fight but was stopped again by a red wall. Lena watched anxiously as the fighting continued. The wall in front of her disappeared and she ran as fast as she could towards Obi-Wan, but she was also stopped by another wall right before reaching him. She and Obi-Wan continued to watch the fighting, unable to help their master. In one horrible second, Qui-Gon was defeated as the man stabbed through him with his light saber.

"No!" Obi-Wan screamed.

Lena sank to her knees, tears soaking her shocked face. Qui-Gon's body sank to the ground and Obi-Wan activated his light saber. Once the wall separating him from the murderer was gone, Obi-Wan started fighting him. Lena watched helpless from behind the wall as Obi-Wan was pushed over the edge again. Tears were joined by sobs as her heart broke in half. The man turned to look at her, an evil gleam in his eyes. She knew she was next, but she welcomed it. She already lost her master and best friend. There was nothing left for her. Suddenly, Obi-Wan flew out of the hole in the floor and resumed fighting with the man. Lena gasped in relief to see that Obi-Wan wasn't dead. She watched hopefully as Obi-Wan gained the high ground and was able to kill the man, pushing his body into the hole. He quickly ran to Qui-Gon and took his head into his lap. Lena quickly rose to her feet as the wall disappeared and she slid across the floor to where her master lay dying. When Qui-Gon's last breath escaped him, the cruel reality hit the two padawans. Obi-Wan, still holding his master's head in his lap, started to sob. Lena pulled her knees up to her chest and covered her face, sobbing into her hands.

A sith had been defeated, but at a great cost. The man she admired and looked up to as a father was gone. Lena and Obi-Wan sat there together, but they felt so alone without their master there to comfort them.

**A/N: I cried while writing this chapter. Qui-Gon's death always makes me cry when I watch it. Until next chapter!**


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